Carmel Mediterranean 2007

750ML
Sku: 057561

Rating

Wine Advocate 87 points (Dec 2010)The 2007 MEDITERRANEAN is a blend of grapes sourced from various regions, but mostly Shomron. Carmel?s Adam Montefiore has, for some time, been attempting to develop a ?Mediterranean? identity for Israel. Following along those lines, he says that this is Carmel?s ?first attempt to make a wine inspired by the Mediterranean blends,? principally a blend of Petite Sirah (15%), Carignan (37%) and Shiraz (26%), the former two being old vines plots of land, with a dollop of Viognier (2%). All of the terroirs were at least 450 meters above sea level. It was aged for 15 months in a mixture of new and old French oak. To start with, it is hard to believe this is a 2007. It tasted like a barrel sample, fruity, grapey, sweet and succulent. It seemed, frankly, rather one dimensional on opening, however tasty. What it needed was about 90 minutes of aeration. Suddenly, it was more like real wine than grape juice, ripe tannins surrounding and supporting the fruit and a little earthy character popping up here and there, not that this is going to remind anyone of a complex, intellectual wine. It did fade a bit fast and thinned rather quickly as well, but this is a lot of fun. There were 20,000 bottles produced. Drink now-2015.

Wine maker notes

This is a Mediterranean inspired blend. The grape varieties are Carignan, Shiraz, Petit Verdot, Petite Sirah and a little Viognier, which have been cherry picked from Carmel’s finest vineyards from all over Israel, including the Upper Galilee, Zichron Ya’acov, Judean Hills and the Negev. The wine was aged for 15 months in French oak barrels. It has a deep purple color, with an aroma of black cherries, spices, leather and truffles. The wine is elegant, well-balanced and has been made for cellaring. The drawing on the label is of Carmel’s Zichron Ya’acov Wine Cellars.